


Heat Wave

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: A simple misunderstanding, Bisexual Dean, Caring Dean, College Student Castiel, Consider that your disclaimer, Does not reflect my personal views on polyamory, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Graduate School, Hotter Men, Kissing, M/M, Mechanic Dean, Mention of polyamory, Neighbors, Pansexual Castiel, Smut, Summer, This is not the behavior of most polyamorous people, heat exhaustion, heat wave, hot apartments, mention of previous relationship, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-18 19:17:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7327009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's summer and the temps are soaring well over a hundred.  It's one of the worst summers on record, and of course Dean's air conditioner dies, right when the heat is at its worse.  While he's trying to survive the heat as best he can, he hears a crash out in the hall and finds his new neighbor collapsed from heat exhaustion.  Dean does what he can to help the man, but the apartments aren't the only thing that are hot...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heat Wave

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prompt that was given in the group The Hunter and His Angel-Destiel Dreaming on Facebook. The prompt was Summertime. So...I ran with it. 
> 
> A couple of disclaimers:
> 
> 1.) The relationship Cas mentions here with his ex? I based that on a real life scenario of a friend of mine. It was a woman though. Had a girlfriend, girlfriend started dating a guy and moved him in without consulting her gf first. It...didn't end well. 
> 
> 2.) I struggled here because as many of you know, I just don't have them having sex this fast. I just don't. But I left enough cushion room that they do end up in a relationship, so I hope you do enjoy this.
> 
> It's hot, it's steamy, you may need a cold shower after this. Enjoy!

[  
](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1467108637.jpg)[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) [](http://www.pizap.com)

 

 

Summer in the midwest freaking _sucked_. Sure, it didn’t get as hot as it did in say, Las Vegas, but it still got pretty damn hot, and this summer was turning out to be one of the worst ones on record. To make it even worse, Dean lived on the third floor of a rundown apartment building that did not offer air conditioning, and his little window unit had struggled to try and cool his living space. It had failed miserably before finally dying a valiant death - on the day it hit a hundred and one. Of course the machine had to go out with flair. Now Dean was walking around wearing nothing more than his underwear, which was soaked in sweat. He’d taken three showers and changed his underwear twice already, not that it was helping. He just didn’t like smelling himself. Sweat was bad enough. _Ball_ sweat was enough to make him want to vomit. He was sprawled out on his sofa, a cold glass of iced tea filled to the top with ice (At least the freezer still worked and he had ice!) sitting on his chest as he dozed in and out of consciousness. The shop was shut down for the next few days due to the heat wave and there not being air, so instead of sweltering and dying at work, he was sweltering and dying in his own apartment. At least here there was ice tea and cold showers.

Hunger gnawed at Dean’s belly, but he was loathe to move. Plus, in this heat, food made him slightly nauseous. His eyes slid over towards the pass through that led to his kitchen as he contemplated what he had on hand that would not require cooking. Maybe a BLT? He had some ice cream in the freezer but he was afraid that while it might taste great going down, the milk might end up curdling in his gut. The thermostat on the wall by the door said his apartment was a toasty one hundred and fifteen degrees. Even with every window in the place open. There was just too much sunlight and the place was not set up to establish a decent cross breeze. That was if there was even a breeze at all. The air outside hung heavy and stagnant. Tonight, if he was lucky, his place would get down to about ninety. 

He had fans going in every room, and one aimed directly at him right now, but it just served to push the hot air around. It did nothing to cool him. Not for the first time he wondered if it would be worthwhile to find his way to some bar that had air conditioning and just sit in a dark corner. But what would that give him? A few hours of peace? Eventually he’d have to come back here anyway. With a sigh he adjusted his balls, _again_ , and took a sip of his tea. There were reruns of Happy Days on, not that he was really paying attention, but it was mildly distracting.

At two he heard a series of loud thumps out in the hall. It sounded like someone or something had fallen and for a moment he felt a jolt of fear that the person had fallen over the railing. He shot up from the couch and ran to his door, yanking it open. Three doors down he saw a man down on the floor, kneeling almost as if in prayer. 

“You ok, buddy?” he asked. The man swayed a bit as he lifted his head to look at Dean.

“Shit, you’re not ok.” Dean hurried to the man’s side and crouched down next to him. “You have heat exhaustion. What were you doing out here?” He smoothed the mop of dark hair back from the man’s forehead and looked into dazed blue eyes that didn’t seem able to really focus.

“I was hot. I used some grant money and bought…” He motioned towards the box on the floor in front of him. When Dean took a look he saw that it was a very large air conditioner. At least twice the size of the pathetic one Dean had been using.

“And you carried it up three flights by yourself?” No wonder the guy was ready to collapse! The man swallowed hard and nodded.

“I don’t feel so good.”

“Give me your keys. We need to get you inside.” 

The man pulled a keyring from his pocket, and Dean snatched the key up. He knew the guy lived in three eleven, he’d seen him once or twice before and wondered what a good looking guy like that was doing in a dump like this, but until now, they’d never spoken. He got the door unlocked and opened it. If he thought his apartment was bad, this was ten times worse. It was a virtual oven. 

“Shit, ok. So I’m going to make a call, ok? We’re going to get this air conditioner installed for you. Hang in there…” He wished he knew the guy’s name.

“Cas. Who are you gonna call?” 

“My brother. He’ll help me get this in your window. For the moment though, I’m going to bring you back to my place and give you an ice pack and see if we can’t get your temperature down because your apartment is even hotter than mine. My A.C. blew the other day and I’ve just been suffering through this, but at least I have fans.” Dean got him up off the floor and after looping an arm around the man’s waist, led him to his own apartment. He guided Cas over to the couch and helped him sit down. 

“Take your shirt off. I’ll get some ice and stuff to help you cool down.” Dean helped Cas out of his sweat-soaked shirt and then had him lie down. He moved the fan closer before hurrying to the kitchen. After grabbing every bag of frozen vegetables he had as well as the two ice packs he kept in there, he returned to the living room. 

“Thank you. Dean, right? You’re Dean?” The man asked as Dean laid the ice cold packages across the man’s chest. He laid one of the ice packs on Cas’ forehead and tucked a second one under his neck.

“Yeah, but...how’d you know my name?” Dean asked. Cas’ eyes were closed, but he gave a little half smile.

“I know Charlie. She pointed out your apartment the first time she came over.”

“Ah, ok. I’m going to give my brother a call, get him down here so we can get that air conditioner in the window.” Dean grabbed his phone off the coffee table and started dialing his brother’s number.

“I can get it in, I just need a few minutes to rest.” Cas cracked an eye open, focusing on the man standing in front of him. His eyes widened when he realized just what Dean was wearing. 

“No, you can’t, not by yourself. That’s a huge unit. Either you’ll crack the frame, break a window, or drop it, and that’s if you don’t give yourself a hernia.” The phone was ringing. A minute later his brother was picking up.

“Hey, everything ok?” Sam asked.

“No, but I’m ok. My neighbor tried to carry a huge-ass air conditioner up three flights of steps by himself, and he has a bad case of heat exhaustion. He’s on my couch now because his place is even hotter than mine. Could you swing by and help me get it in his window so he doesn’t die? It’s hotter than Hades up here.”

“Sure, uh, I’m actually getting ready to leave the courthouse now. I’ll swing by your place on my way home. Should I change into a tee shirt and shorts first?” Dean could hear the car door close. Good, his brother would be there sooner rather than later.

“Yes, or you’ll be having a heat stroke too,” Dean replied.

“Ok, I’ll be there in fifteen. I’ll call Jess and let her know where I’m at.”

“Ok, see you soon.” Dean hung up the phone and turned around to find Cas staring. If the man’s face wasn’t already flushed beet red from heat exhaustion, he’d have been blushing.

“Sorry, it’s too hot for clothes. If balls didn’t stick so bad I wouldn’t even have these on.” Dean knew he should throw on shorts and a tee shirt but the idea of putting on clothing made his stomach turn. He would wait until the absolute last minute to add more layers onto his sweating body.

“It’s ok. I only put these on to go to the store. I couldn’t take the heat. I have one fan, and I was hiding in my bedroom with it. I have blackout curtains in there, but…” Cas looked away in embarrassment. “I’m _chafing_. And I don’t do well in this kind of heat. I thought I was dying coming up the stairs. My head hurts so bad.”

Dean checked the frozen vegetables. They were quickly thawing in this heat. He took them so he could put them back in the freezer.

“Let me get you a glass of water.”

He went to the kitchen and after putting the vegetables back, he filled a glass with room temperature water. It was important to hydrate without further shocking Cas’ body. Carrying it back to the living room, he handed it over, explaining about the ice. Cas had a pout to his lips, cold water would no doubt have been delicious, but he understood as he accepted the glass and drank it down.

“I believe I may be a bit dehydrated. I didn’t drink anything before I left to go to the store. Is my air conditioner ok out in the hall like that?”

Dean glanced out the open door. The box was still sitting in the same spot. Most of their neighbors weren’t home and those that were, were hiding in their own air-conditioned apartments.

“It’s fine. I’m going to grab a pair of shorts and at least a tank top, so I don’t get all scraped up installing that thing. I’ll just be a minute.” Dean excused himself and headed for his bedroom. After making sure the curtains were still pulled tight, he went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of running shorts, ones he never dared to wear in public, and a tank top. He groaned as he put them on and then made his way out to the living room. Cas was sitting up on the couch, the ice packs being held in place, and Sam was standing next to him. They were talking casually. Sam arched one eyebrow at his brother’s shorts but said nothing about them.

“So, that big box in the hall, that’s the air conditioner?” Sam asked.

“Yep.” Dean replied.

“Ok, well, let’s go get it put in.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean made Cas lay back down while he and Sam trudged out into the hall.

“You weren’t joking about how hot it is up here. Why are you suffering? You could come stay with me and Jess, or if you’re too proud for that, why don’t you take our old air conditioners? We have central air now and don’t need them.” Sam grimaced as they stepped into Cas’ apartment. It was pitch black, and Dean remembered he had mentioned blackout curtains, though he thought Cas had been referring to his bedroom. 

“I’m not camping out in my brother’s house and getting between newlyweds just cause my balls are sticking to my thigh. But…” Dean smirked. “If you’re serious about the air conditioners, I’ll take them.”

Sam grinned. “I’ll bring them by tonight, after dinner.” He found the switch on the wall and flipped it. Shit, this was damn close to being an oven. Not a single window was open, not that it would do much good. “What window?”

“Middle is best. I can see the outlet.” Dean went to the window and pulled the curtains back to expose it. The light streaming in was hot and blinding. No wonder Cas kept them covered. He was getting full, southern exposure whereas Dean was on the end and got more of an eastern one. The lock on the window didn’t want to budge at first, but he added a little more pressure and it finally slid back. From there he grabbed the sash and pushed up. It took muscle power but he got the window to raise. Hot air blasted in from outside, further helping to make the room feel like a furnace.

“Ok, help me get the box inside,” Sam said. Dean nodded and they went back out into the hall to grab it. It was heavy and Dean found himself wondering how the hell Cas had managed to get it up three flights of steps by _himself_. How long had it taken him? He would have to ask the man later. Sam moved a small table with plants aside, and Dean slid the box over to the window. Together they opened the box and got the unit out. It took several minutes of struggling, but they managed to get it into the window and the extension pieces put in place. Once Dean was sure there were no air leaks, he plugged it in and turned it on. 

“Shit that feels _amazing_!” He sighed as ice cold air blasted out at him.

“Check to make sure the other windows are closed.” Sam nodded to the ones to the right of the one with the air conditioner. Dean went and checked them all while Sam checked the ones to the left. 

“Lucky bastard’s going to be nice and cool if he leaves his bedroom door open,” Dean chuckled.

“Can you handle getting him back in here on your own?” Sam asked. He stood next to his brother, relishing in the cool air that was washing over his sweat-slick skin. He’d been here maybe fifteen minutes tops, and he had soaked through his shirt. And yeah, things were starting to get a little sticky down below. 

“Yeah, not a problem. Once he’s stretched out here, in the air, he’ll feel tons better. I’ll stick around long enough to make sure he drinks more water so he doesn’t have a full blown heat stroke,” Dean said. “What time you think you’ll be by with the air conditioners?”

“We’ll aim for eight, after some of this heat has passed. Then you won’t have to install them with the sun burning holes into you.” Sam started for the door. “I’ll take the box out with me.”

“Thanks, man.” Dean left the apartment door ajar as he walked back to his own place. When he walked in Cas was sitting up, leaning as close to the fan as he could get. He was a bit less flushed.

“Come on, handsome. Let’s get you back to your place where it’s nice and cool,” Dean said. Cas opened his eyes and looked up at him.

“It’s in?”

“It’s in.” Dean nodded in confirmation.

“I don’t know how to thank you. I didn’t think it through. I was just so damn _hot_.” Cas was holding the ice packs, both of which had melted.

“They need to be put back. Thank you for helping to bring my temperature down.”

Dean accepted the packs and after sticking them back in the freezer, returned to the living room. “You still dizzy?”

“A bit,” Cas admitted. “But I’m eager to be in the air conditioning.”

Dean chuckled as he came around the sofa and helped Cas to his feet. 

“Your apartment is almost as bad as mine.” Cas noticed the thermostat on the wall, and he squinted so he could read it. “Damn, makes me wonder what temperature mine was.”

“If I had to wage a guess? I’d say like one thirty. Seriously. It was an oven. I still need to secure the curtain over the air conditioner.” Dean closed his own apartment door and walked Cas down to his own. Once they stepped inside Cas sighed with relief.

“Oh, this is wonderful! Definitely worth the money!” 

Dean smiled as he led the man over to the couch. Once Cas was sitting, he went back to close the door. “Do you have clothespins or something I can secure the curtains with? To keep the light out.”

Cas pointed down the hall. “I have the second bedroom set up as a sort of study, but I use it for storage. There’s a book case as soon as you walk in, to your left. The top shelf has a bowl filled with safety pins. Those should work.”

Dean headed for the bedrooms and after accidentally walking into Cas’ room, he found the study. The bowl was filled with safety pins of all sizes but he settled for grabbing eight of the big ones, since the curtains were thick. When he went back to the living room Cas was sitting up, his eyes closed and a soft smile on his lips as the temperature in the room continued to drop.

“Enjoying that air, eh?” Dean laughed. Cas’ eyes opened and he smiled wider.

“Definitely. I should have invested in one at the beginning of summer, but I thought I could handle it. I took six showers between yesterday and today. My water bill is going to be ridiculous.”

“You should just fill your tub with cold water and sit in it,” Dean said as he began securing the curtains. He didn’t notice the way Cas was checking him out.

“I need a plug. I don’t have one, otherwise I would.”

“Use your foot, or really, just about anything that will keep the water from draining too fast. I took showers today, at least three times, but yesterday I soaked in my tub for like, two hours during the worst of the heat.” Dean secured the last pin and stepped back to let the air wash over him. He really was dreading going back to his place.

“You don’t have to go. I know your place is a furnace too. Would you like something to drink? Cold water? Iced tea? Maybe a beer?” Cas asked. Dean turned to face him, cocking one eyebrow at catching the man looking at his ass for a second time.

“Ice water would be great, but you sit tight. I’ll get us both a glass.”

“Glasses are in the cabinet over the sink,” Cas called out. Dean found the glasses and filled them with ice and water. When he got back to the living room Cas had moved over to make room for him.

“Thanks. I wasn’t really looking forward to going back into that. My brother’s bringing me his old air conditioners tonight. I’m putting one in the living room and one in my bedroom. I just dread going back to work. A simple air conditioner won’t cut it there. I need to invest in central air, which is around ten thousand, and I don’t have that right now, so I closed the place down til it’s under a hundred again.” Dean sat back and took a sip of his water. 

“You own a business?” Cas asked.

“I’m surprised Charlie didn’t give you my life story, she likes to do that.” Dean chuckled. Cas smiled as he looked down at the floor. 

“No, she only told me that her friend Dean lived in three seventeen. We were with other people at the time. It was a study group; she’s in my history class.”

“So, you’re a student?” Dean wasn’t sure how old the other man even was, but he looked older than Charlie.

“Sort of? I am a TA, but I still have one more history class before I’m finished. Next year I’ll be teaching at the university. I’m older than Charlie, if that’s what you’re wondering. By about seven years,” Cas replied.

“Oh, that’s cool. And yes, I own my own business. Winchester Auto, down on LaGrange. I just opened it last year and I’m building up clientele, so moving out of this dump and springing for central air, they’re pretty low on my current list of priorities.” Dean sat back, resting his head against the back of the sofa and closing his eyes. “Feels so good in here.” He murmured.

“I am going to take a five minute shower, but please, don’t leave. I just need to get this sweat washed off.” Cas stood up, pausing for a moment to see if he was going to get hit with another dizzy spell. “I can order us some dinner, so no one has to cook, does that sound good?”

“Yeah, it does. I can feel my appetite coming back now that I’m in here. It was too hot to eat at my place.” Dean opened his eyes and looked up at Cas, meeting the blue eyes staring back.

“I’ll be back in five.” Cas hurried from the room, and Dean took a moment to admire the view as the man left. Once he was alone he went back to resting his head and closing his eyes. He wasn’t aware of dozing off but drops of water plopping on his cheek a little while later woke him and he opened his eyes to find a very wet and still shirtless Cas standing over him.

“How does pizza sound? I have a taste for it. Plus I have some coupons.” 

“Yeah, pizza’s great,” Dean agreed. He watched as Cas came around the side of the couch and reclaimed his seat from earlier. He was dressed in nothing but a loose pair of basketball shorts, his wet hair still dripping and Dean’s eyes tracked one droplet as it slid down the man’s chest. Cas was on his phone, typing away.

“What do you like on your pizza?” Cas asked without looking up.

“Meat. Veggies are cool too.”

“How does one with meat and one supreme sound?” This time Cas did look up. Dean nodded.

“Sounds good to me.”

Cas smiled briefly before turning back to his phone. “The shower helped, by the way. I turned the water to cold, not that it really is in this heat, but it helped a lot. I took something for my head too. Overall, I feel better. If you hadn’t stopped me earlier though, I think it would have escalated into a full blown heat stroke. I owe you a debt of gratitude.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Cas. I’m just glad I was able to help before that happened.”

Cas set his phone on the coffee table and folded his legs up underneath himself.

“So how long have you lived here?” 

“Two years. My brother and I had a bigger place across town, but then he met Jess and they wanted to get married, so I went apartment hunting. Found this place. I had no idea I’d boil in the summer though,” Dean snorted. “I bought my air conditioner, but it was used and died out the day it hit a hundred and one. That’s the day I spent in the tub.”

“Ouch, I don’t blame you. I’ve only been here three months. I’ve never lived on my own before. I wanted to try. So far, it’s dull,” Cas said with a laugh. 

“Yeah, it definitely can be. I never really lived alone before I moved here either. Always had roommates, or Sam. Charlie lived with me for a year after high school. Then she met Glenda, and she moved in with her. That was probably right about the same time Sam broke up with this girl Amelia he’d been dating. So he needed a place to live. We got the bigger place, and then Jess came along. I’m rambling, sorry. Point is, I live alone and have for a few years now. It’s dull, for the most part, but if something gets spilled on the sofa, I have no one to blame but myself.” Dean sat up a bit and angled his body so he was facing Cas.

“So, what are you getting your degree in?”

“Double major, English and Creative Writing, with a minor in history. Hence the last history class I’m finishing up. I didn’t have time to take it sooner, so not only am I late in going back to school in the first place, but I’m officially the oldest person in the class. I think I might even be older than the teacher,” Cas replied with a laugh. Now that he was clean and his face wasn’t red from the heat, Dean could tell that not only was the man incredibly attractive, he was older than he had first assumed.

“You don’t look that old,” Dean said lamely. Cas smiled shyly.

“Thank you. I actually taught high school for a few years before I went back, so I’m thirty one.”

Dean was surprised by that. “Oh, well there’s nothing wrong with going back and pursuing your dreams. I got a BA in Automotive Technology. I already knew how to work on cars, but the degree helped. I graduated a long time ago. Now I’m just working on expanding my business.”

They talked about the shop some more, losing track of time until there came a knock at the door. Cas got up to answer it. He returned to the sofa a few minutes later with a stack of boxes.

“What is all this? I thought you ordered two pizzas!” Dean laughed as he stood up to help. 

“I got some bread sticks too, and they had these lava cakes, and I’ve avoided them since they first put them out, but I thought perhaps you might like them. So I got an order of those too,” Cas explained as they set all of the boxes down on the coffee table. “I will go and get us some plates.”

Dean lifted the lids on both pizzas to make sure they had the orders right. When Cas came back, he had the plates, napkins, and a pitcher of ice water.

“We could have eaten in the kitchen,” Dean laughed.

“We could, but then we’d be eating on the floor. I don’t have a kitchen table. It’s just me, so I didn’t see a need for one.”

“Air conditioner is more important, right?” Dean joked as he placed two slices of pizza and a cheese stuffed breadstick on his plate. Cas laughed and nodded.

“Most definitely!”

As they ate, they talked. Dean learned his neighbor was almost as big of a nerd as he was, and had a love for classic rock too. He was desperate to know if the vibe he was getting off the other man was accurate or not. It seemed like Cas was interested in him. Sometimes it was just hard to tell. Straight people stared too, and he’d been on the receiving end of some pretty intense ones, especially if he was covered in grease or dressed minimally, letting most of his tattoos show. Dean didn’t think the man was gay, but his fingers were crossed the man was at least bi. The conversation was all over the place. They discussed books, television, movies, hobbies, and interests. They cleared off most of the pizza but as the conversation shifted to exes and Cas brought up his reason for moving to this building, Dean concluded that he had just read the man wrong.

“I almost married her. How stupid of me. I thought she loved me. I couldn’t stay in that environment. She moved her new boyfriend in and just expected me to be ok with it. I knew she was poly before we started dating but I’m not, and she knew that. I had to leave. This place was the nicest of the ones I toured. But seeing as how it was late winter when I looked at it, I had no clue it would get this hot.”

“Yeah, the place is like an oven without air,” Dean said absently. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. “Oh, I have to go, Sam and Jess are almost here. Thanks for the food though.” He stood up and gave a polite smile. A little crease formed between Cas’ brow that normally Dean would find adorable, but he wasn’t going to flirt with straight guys.

“Will you stop by again? It’s nice having someone to talk to.” Cas stood up and followed him to the door.

“Yeah, sure.” Dean knew he wasn’t going to go out of his way though. Maybe they could be friends, but this man was just too beautiful to be around for very long without being tempted to grab him and kiss him.

“Thank you again, Dean. For everything.” Cas’ smile was so warm and beautiful, it just made Dean want to get out of there faster, before he did something stupid.

“It’s no problem, man. I’ll catch you later.” Dean opened the door and stepped into the hall. It was still ridiculously hot, even this late. He could feel Cas’ eyes on him as he made his way down to his own apartment and opened the door. Once he was inside, his stomach did a turn. The living room was hot, and he’d just eaten dairy. If he got the air conditioners in and got the place to cool down, he’d be ok, but it was too damn hot to sit in this with what he’d just eaten. 

He put on his gym shoes and headed down to the first floor to meet his brother and sister-in-law. Sam lucked out, finding a spot right out front, and Dean helped him pull the air conditioners out. They made the trek up to his apartment, needing to stop twice in the stifling-hot stairwell.

“I can’t believe the landlord hasn’t done something to help, even if it’s just ceiling fans or air conditioners. Because this is ridiculous. People could die in this,” Jess complained as they climbed the final few steps that brought them to the third floor. Jess went ahead of them to hold the door open. 

Installing the actual units took all of twenty minutes, and then the apartment was on its way to cooling down. Dean sighed in relief as he sat down on the sofa. Maybe now he wouldn’t toss his dinner. His foot kicked something, and he looked down to see Cas’ tee shirt on floor. Damn, he’d have to return that later. Jess sat down next to him and smiled. He smiled back.

“What’s new with you, gorgeous?” he asked.

“Work has kept me busy. I took over as head nurse, but they wanted to put me on the night shift, so I stepped back, went back to my old position until a day shift comes up. I’m not going to work opposite shifts from my husband, and I told my boss as much. It’s been hectic though, the last few days. So many heat-related admissions. We lost an elderly lady whose kids didn’t bother to check on her until after it was over a hundred. She had a stroke and died yesterday morning.” 

“Yeah, thanks to you showing me the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke earlier I got to my neighbor in time. Guy lugged an air conditioner even bigger than the ones you gave me up to this floor by himself. I heard the noise when he collapsed to the floor in the hall. I’m sure Sam told you all about it,” Dean said. Jess looked at her husband, who had sat down in an armchair across from them.

“He did. You installed his unit for him, but first you tended to him, right?” she asked.

“Of course. I was going to help him into his apartment but the minute I opened the door I was hit with a blast of air so hot I thought I was stepping into an oven, so I brought him back here, stripped his shirt off and covered him in every bag of frozen vegetables I had,” Dean chuckled. “Plus the ice packs. One on his forehead, one on the back of his neck, and I gave him room temp water. To hydrate him.”

Jess smiled. “Good, that’s good. And he’s ok now?”

Dean shrugged. “Seemed to be.”

“Well, maybe I’ll just go check on him, take his temp and see how he’s feeling.” Jess was already on her feet and heading for the door.

“You don’t have to do that, he has his air on high now and the dizzy spells passed.” He followed her as far as the hall before stopping.

“Which one is his?” she asked.

Dean motioned vaguely. “Three eleven.”

He didn’t wait to see her knock. He went back into his apartment and sat down on the sofa again. 

“You’re acting weird. Did Cas do or say something wrong?” Sam asked. Dean startled, almost having forgotten his brother was there.

“No, dude’s cool.”

“Something happen? You like him, don’t you?” Sam said.

“Shut up, Sammy, you don’t know anything.” Dean glared at his younger brother.

“Ah...you like him, but he’s straight. Well, you can still be friends, right?” 

Dean scrubbed a hand down the front of his face before glancing back at the door to make sure Jess wasn’t walking back in.

“Friends is fine, except I want to kiss him and I can’t. I sat with him for hours, we talked about everything under the sun, but I couldn’t get a gauge on his orientation. Then he mentioned an ex-girlfriend, so I left. You were already on your way. I’ll get over it. It’s not like I knew him before this.” He glanced back at the door again before sighing deeply and running his hands through his hair. “He’ll forget about me.” Dean’s heart ached a little bit thinking that.

“If you’re talking about me, it’s highly unlikely.” 

Dean whipped his head around to see Jess coming through the door with Cas. Damn her.

“Dean sometimes has a low opinion of himself, even though he’s thoughtful and considerate. We tell him he’s wonderful, but he doesn’t believe us,” Jess said as she came around to sit on the sofa. She shooed Dean farther down and motioned for Cas to sit between them.

“I told him earlier, I was very appreciative that he stepped in when he did. I can be rather stubborn, and I was determined to get that air conditioner in the window. My own family is back in Illinois and wouldn’t have been able to help me, so I was on my own. By the way, thank you, Sam, for helping with the air conditioner.” Cas nodded at the taller man.

“It’s no problem, man. I’m just glad you’re ok. Did Jess take your temp? Because she said she was going to.” Sam could see his brother’s discomfort, but he also saw the way Cas kept glancing over at Dean. He was willing to bet Dean had totally misread Cas earlier.

“She did. I still have a temperature, but she thinks it will go down in a day or so. She advises plenty of fluids and to take it easy. Since it’s now the weekend, that’s exactly what I plan to do.” 

Jess grilled Cas in her polite, friendly way and Dean excused himself, saying he’d be back in a few minutes. He didn’t consider Sam or Jess as company. They were family, welcome to come and go as they pleased, and to stay as long as they liked. Once he was gone, Cas’ shoulders seemed to slump.

“You ok?” Jess asked him.

“Did I do or say something to upset him? I thought we were getting along nicely earlier and then he just sort of...withdrew. He left so fast I stood there for ten minutes going over our conversation and wondering what I’d said that had put him off. I can’t think of anything.” 

“Oh. I don’t know, Dean’s not generally like that. Maybe the heat is just getting to him,” she suggested.

“Maybe.”

Sam debated on whether it was his place or not to say something. Dean might kill him, or...he might thank him. One glance at his wife, and she was able to read him like an open book. She turned her attention to Cas again.

“Honey, are you interested in Dean?”

Cas blushed and looked down at the floor, noticing his shirt from earlier was still there. 

“I don’t think he’s interested. He has made that rather clear.”

“You’re wrong. He thinks you’re straight; that’s why he backed off,” Sam said softly. At the back of the apartment they’d heard the shower turn on. 

“I’m pansexual. I like people for more than just looks.” Cas’ eyes widened. “Oh, now I understand his questions earlier, and when I mentioned why I moved here, he got really weird. Sort of just closed in on himself and then got up and left.”

“Why did you move here?” Jess asked.

Cas took a deep breath and sighed. “So I was dating this woman, Meg. I met her through some friends that thought we would be a good match. We weren’t. It took me a while to figure that out, though. I was with her a little over two years and I did love her, and I was thinking about proposing, but there was a big problem. See, she’s poly; I’m not. She wasn’t happy being in a monogamous relationship with me, so without my knowledge, she started seeing this guy. She not only brought him home to meet me, she moved him into the apartment, and she just expected me to accept it. He was poly and came on really strong to me. I didn’t care if he was attractive, it was a turn off. I took Meg aside and told her, if this was the life she wanted to live and she wanted to toss away the last two years, then I wasn’t going to stop her. I loved her, but I knew she was miserable. She begged me to stay, but I couldn’t. The last I heard about her, she had another man in their relationship, and she’s very happy. I’m happy for her, and for them. But I’m a one-on-one type person; I’m not into polyamory.”

“Yeah, none of us are poly, though we have a few friends that are,” Sam said. The bathroom door opened down the hall, and they all fell quiet. A minute later, Dean was walking back into the room, dressed now in loose track pants and a black tee shirt.

“Sorry, I can’t take the sweat. I can’t handle being dirty.” Dean ran a hand through his wet hair as he walked over to the sofa and sat down again. Cas turned to look at him, a shy, nervous smile on his face that had Dean curious.

“What were you guys talking about?” Dean asked.

“What an idiot you are,” Sam replied. 

Dean frowned. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means you jumped to incorrect conclusions earlier about Cas here,” Jess said. 

Dean’s frown deepened so much it looked like he was scowling. “I don’t know what the hell you’re saying.” 

Sam stood up, and Jess followed suit. She smiled politely at Cas.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Cas. Remember what I said, and get plenty of rest. Goodnight Dean, and don’t forget you’re supposed to come over for Sunday dinner.”

Before Dean knew what was even happening, he was alone in his apartment with Cas.

“Are you going to enlighten me? Cause I feel like I’m sitting in the dark right now.” Dean was annoyed, but more than that he was nervous. 

“Apparently I was not clear enough earlier when we spoke, and I attribute most of that to the migraine I had. I feel better now though. But it would appear that you are under the impression that I am straight. I assure you I am not,” Cas replied. Dean’s heartbeat picked up so much he thought his heart might just be trying to pound its way out of his chest. He swallowed hard as he averted his gaze. Well, shit just got weird.

“I-I thought it would be rude to ask.”

“I’m pretty bad about expressing interest in people I like, and I honestly wasn’t feeling well before. The shower and the ibuprofen earlier helped a lot though. I thought perhaps you were interested in return, but then you suddenly seemed so cold, like you couldn’t leave fast enough, and I didn’t know what I had said that would make you act like that. I have since figured out what it was I had said. Mentioning Meg was perhaps not my smartest move.” Cas turned around so he was facing Dean completely.

“So, not straight. You’re not gay either. That mean you’re bi?” Dean asked.

Cas still had that soft, shy smile as he looked up at him.

“I am pansexual. It falls under the bisexual umbrella, basically.”

“I know what pan is; I have a few friends that are. I suppose if we’re putting labels on, I’d be considered bi,” Dean said.

“So, to avoid any further miscommunications, I like you Dean. I’m sorry if I wasn’t being clear about that earlier.” 

Dean smiled and shifted a little closer to the other man. “I like you too, Cas. Could I take you out some time? Maybe after this heat wave passes? Until then, I would like to make you dinner, here, where it’s air conditioned.”

Cas’ smile widened as he peered up through his dark lashes. “Are you looking for just a one nighter, or something more serious?”

“I don’t do one night stands anymore. Too old for that crap, and too scary. I’m clean and I intend to stay clean, so I’m looking for something long term, maybe with the potential for permanency. What about you?” 

Cas moved himself closer before lifting his gaze to meet the green eyes watching him. “That’s what I’m looking for. I’m not into games, and I don’t like playing around. When I want something, I go for it.”

There was a hungry look in his eyes that was seriously turning Dean on.

“Oh yeah? And what exactly is it that you want, Cas?”

“You, Dean,” Cas replied simply. Dean chuckled. He licked his lips and watched as Cas tracked the movement.

“I don’t usually make a habit of getting intimate before a date,” he said. 

“Well that’s fine by me. I don’t normally either. I guess I’ll just go home.” Cas slid both feet to the floor and went to stand up, but Dean was quick, and he was horny now. He straddled the other man and pinned him to the sofa.

“How does breakfast sound?” Dean asked. Cas understood the invitation. How they had gone from a simple misunderstanding a few hours ago to this was a miracle, but he really did like Dean, and the man was beautiful, both inside and out. He wanted Dean, badly.

“Breakfast sounds wonderful. I would like to lock my apartment though. Knowing my luck, someone will steal my air conditioner.” 

Dean grinned and climbed off the man’s lap. “Alright. You go lock up and when you come back, just lock my door and meet me in the bedroom. I’m going to make sure the air conditioner isn’t making the room freezing cold.”

He helped Cas to his feet and watched him head for the door. Cas paused and turned to look at him.

“You’re absolutely sure?”

“Yes. But I want more than just tonight,” Dean replied. Cas’ smile was warm and full of joy. 

“Alright, I’ll only be gone a minute.”

Once Cas had gone, Dean headed for the bedroom. The room was cold, just the way he liked it. He’d been sleeping without any blankets or top sheets lately because of the heat, but now that the room was comfortable, they would need a blanket tonight. Heading to the closet, he found a comforter that would keep them just the ride shade of warm for the night. He was spreading it on the bed when he heard the front door open.

“Dean?” 

“In here.” 

A moment later Cas was standing in the bedroom doorway.

“Feels nice in here. I opened my bedroom door because it was still ridiculously hot in there. I may need a second air conditioner for my room.”

“Well, tonight we sleep in comfort. Memory foam.” Dean patted the mattress.

“Could I grab a glass of water? I’m thirsty,” Cas asked.

“I’ll get us both one. Ice?” Dean asked as he moved past him and out into the hall. Cas followed.

“Yes, please.”

Dean filled the glasses and passed one to Cas. As they sipped he took Cas by the hand and led him back to the bedroom. Cas had never moved this slowly before when taking a partner to bed. Usually it was a clash of limbs and lips as one person shoved the other back towards the bed. He knew Dean was horny, could practically smell it on him.

“I...have stuff,” Dean said as he set his glass down on the nightstand.

“That’s good to know, because I don’t,” Cas laughed. Dean smiled as he took the glass Cas was still holding and set it down on the table too. 

“Come here.” Dean wrapped an arm around Cas’ waist and pulled him close.

Their first kiss was gentle as Dean’s hand slid up into Cas’ still slightly damp hair and tugged. The moan that spilled from Cas’ lips was incredible, and he was eager to hear more sounds coming from him. As he ran his tongue across Cas’ lower lip, the man eagerly opened up to him. Dean could feel warm fingers slipping under his shirt, pushing it up until it bunched at his neck. He stepped back long enough to let the man pull it over his head. Cas was still shirtless, and it was an amazing and glorious sight. As tempting as it was to dive back in and claim that mouth again, Dean wanted to taste more. He guided Cas back towards the bed and watched as the man laid down. The shorts he was wearing rode low revealing sharp hip bones and a rather delicious looking stomach. Dean didn’t waste time stretching out next to him. He kissed his way down from Cas’ jaw to his chest. The room was now cold enough that they both had goosebumps, and Cas’ nipples stood stiff and hard. Dean swirled his tongue around one, smiling when Cas hissed at the cold air hitting it. 

“Pants off!” Cas was pushing at Dean’s track pants, so he sat back for a second to push them off. 

“Damn,” Cas whispered when he realized Dean wasn’t wearing any underwear. He sat up, grabbing Dean and flipping him so he was the one on his back. Despite being sick and feeling damn close to passing out, the sight of Dean standing next to him earlier wearing nothing but underwear, his body shining with perspiration, had been hard to resist touching. He’d been caught staring more than once and that alone should have told Dean he was interested, but apparently it had not. Now he could not only stare but he could touch as well, so he did. His lips latched onto the bolt of Dean’s jaw, sucking hard. Whether or not he left a mark was the last thing on his mind. Dean’s hands pushed his own shorts down and without bothering to sit up, he shoved them down far enough to push them to the floor. He’d forgone underwear now that he had air conditioning, and Dean’s hands latched onto his ass, pulling him down against him. The friction was absolute bliss. It had been five months since he’d had sex last, and that had been with Meg. Sex with another man was always something he enjoyed, and there was something wonderful about lying like this, cocks rubbing together and creating friction. As he worked his way down Dean’s neck to his chest, leaving a myriad of marks in his wake, he slid a hand down between them, taking both of their leaking cocks in hand. His strokes were slow but with just the right amount of pressure to have them both groaning.

“Cas…” The sound of his name on Dean’s lips when spoken like that was one of the hottest things he’d ever heard. Dean was thrusting up into his hand as he sought out more friction. 

“Shh…” Cas kissed him softly as he eased off and released both of their cocks. “Where’s the lube and condoms?” He sat back so Dean could reach over to the nightstand and get out what they needed. Dean handed him the lube.

“I prefer to top, are you ok with that?” Cas asked him. 

Dean nodded. “Yeah, totally ok with that.” 

Cas smiled as he repositioned himself on the bed so he could nudge Dean’s legs apart. Green eyes were locked on him, watching as he poured some of the lube onto his fingers and moved it around. 

“Mmm, so tight.” Cas purred as he worked one finger in and out. Dean’s hands were desperate to touch him, but Cas was sitting too far back so he settled for bunching the comforter tightly in his hands. Even as tight as Dean was, Cas was soon able to slip a second finger in. Shortly after that he had a third one added into the mix. Dean was panting, whimpering and begging for more. It was music to Cas’ ears.

“I wanna face you,” Dean said as soon as Cas withdrew his fingers. Cas smiled.

“Yeah? I want that too.” Cas tore open the condom and slid it over his member. 

“You’re still recovering from earlier. I’m going to do the work here.” Dean sat up and motioned for Cas to sit with his back against the headboard. Once Cas was sitting with his legs out in front of him, Dean climbed into his lap and straddled him. Dean got himself in position and slowly, inch by inch he lowered himself down onto Cas’ cock.

“You feel so good, baby.” Dean let his head fall back as he sank all the way down. The tight heat was incredible, and Cas grabbed the man’s hips to still him for a moment.

“Just...give me sec here.” He needed the time to adjust so he didn’t come right on the spot. Slowly he eased up his grip on Dean’s hips and slid his hands down so they instead rested on the strong muscles in the man’s thighs. This was the first time he’d done this position with another man, and he was excited to see just how good it felt. He looked up, meeting Dean’s gaze, and nodded. With a slow roll of his hips, Dean rose up and came back down. His hands came to rest on Cas’ shoulders as he established a rhythm, picking up speed until he was practically slamming down onto Cas on every downward thrust.

“You’re so gorgeous like this, Dean. Come on, baby. Harder!” Cas took hold of Dean’s cock, which was now leaking so much pre-come it was splattering across his stomach, and began stroking in time with Dean’s downward thrusts. He focused on all the beautiful sounds the man above him was making. In truth, he was glad Dean had opted to do all the work. Even the little bit he was doing was tiring him out, but he was so close, and he knew Dean was too. A couple of well placed squeezes and a thumb rubbing over the head of Dean’s cock, and he was screaming Cas’ name as he came. His entire body clenched as his orgasm slammed through him, and Cas grabbed his hips and pulled him down tight as his own orgasm hit.

“Fuck!” The word escaped in a rush as he tried to blink away the stars he had dancing behind his eyelids. Dean was limp, but as Cas laid him out on the bed he had a happy smile on his face. 

“I’m going to get us cleaned up. I’ll be back in a sec.” Cas kissed him softly before getting up from the bed. He left to go to the bathroom and when he returned, Dean was dozing, shivering slightly in the cold room. As soon as Cas started to clean him up his eyes fluttered and then opened. He smiled up at him.

“You’re staying, right? Not just one time?” Dean’s words slurred, but Cas felt something stirring inside him at the question.

“I wouldn’t dream of leaving,” he replied. After turning out the lights he helped Dean pull the covers back and together they slipped beneath them. Cas wrapped himself around Dean, loving how the man felt in his arms. There was no way he’d have ever settled for this being just a one-time thing. No, Dean was something special and he was eager to see where things went between them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The heat wave finally broke about three days later. By the following Wednesday, Dean was back at the shop, sweating half to death as he worked on cars alongside his guys, but with the knowledge that after a hard day at the garage, he would go home to the beautiful man who was waiting for him. Cas had recovered from his heat exhaustion, though he had to be careful when he was out in the heat after that. Dean fixed the air conditioning in his car, which helped a lot, and for starting their whole relationship backwards by having sex first and then starting to date, they were actually getting along splendidly and enjoyed one another’s company. The guys, of course, teased him constantly about the “love bites” Cas loved to leave all over his body, some of which were visible for other people to see, like the one on his jaw that took three weeks to disappear. Not that Dean was complaining. The sex was phenomenal, and Cas was easy to get along with. If he wasn’t careful he might just end up falling for the guy.

Oh, who was he kidding?

**Author's Note:**

> So I hope you enjoyed this one. Comments are always welcome.


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